美文学要点2.pptVIP

Introduction to American literature 1.The Colonial Period 2.The Romantic Period (the  first half of 19th century) 3.The Age of Realism and Naturalism 4.The Period around WWI 5.The Modern Period I. The Colonial Period (the early 17th and 18th century) 1. Puritanism: idealism and opportunism 2. Benjamin Franklin本杰明·富兰克林 : → “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin”自传 → Poor Richard’s Almanac穷查理历书 (containing witty maxims for achieving wealth as a result of hard work and thrift) 3.Philip Freneau (poem)菲利普·弗伦诺 The Rising Glory of America蒸蒸日上的美洲 American Puritanism Puritans → The early settlers ☆ founding fathers of the America nation ☆To purify the rituals and lessen the authority of bishops→ escaped to the new world, create a new paradise → advocate highly religious and moral principles. → American Puritanism was one of the most enduring shaping influences in American thought and American literature. Chapter Two  American Romanticism and New England Literature Logic Thread Representative figures of the time: Pre-romanticism: Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper库珀 American Romanticism The romantic period stretches from the end of the eighteenth century through the outbreak of the Civil War (1790-1865).1. Background (1) Political background and economic development Territorial Expansion Industrial Growth The Civil War The “newness” of Americans as a nation is in connection with American Romanticism. → optimism and hope among the people There is American Puritanism as a cultural heritage to consider. (2) foreign influence – Romantic movement in European countries   American Romanticism Romanticism was a rebellion against the objectivity of rationalism. For romantics, the feelings, intuitions and emotions were more important than reason and common sense. They stressed the close relationship between man and nature; They emphasized individualism and affirmed